


The Fighter

by supernaturallylost



Series: Rehabilitation [10]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Normal Life, Angst, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Homelessness, M/M, Mild Language, Minor Violence, Name-Calling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-19
Updated: 2015-08-19
Packaged: 2018-04-15 14:17:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4609854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/supernaturallylost/pseuds/supernaturallylost
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cas allows Sam and Dean to take him shopping for his own clothes. The trip, however, doesn't go how Dean had planned.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Fighter

A week’s worth of relaxing and rehabilitating prepared Castiel for his big day out. With Sam and Dean’s help, he was going to spend the next Sunday afternoon and evening getting all new clothes.

“Are you sure about this?” Cas asked for the millionth time. “I don’t want to be a burden.”

“I’m sure,” Dean sighed from the couch, ruffling through clothing ads. The first few times he’d reassured Cas, he’d stood up, looked Cas in the eyes, and held his hands lightly. Now, however, he knew there was nothing he could say to make Cas more comfortable with the idea. With that in mind, he nodded easily and added, “New clothes will be awesome because they’ll fit you. My old stuff is way too big for you, man.”

Cas looked down at the baggy T-shirt hanging from his shoulders and the pants that were tied tight with a drawstring around his hips.

Finally, Sunday afternoon was with them, and Cas followed the brothers from the apartment to the impala that was parked nearby.

“Cas,” Dean smiled, “meet Baby.”

Sam rolled his eyes with a smile, but Cas only bowed his head respectfully and with gratitude. Dean practically beamed with happiness. The drive to the store was easy, short, and calm. Cas looked out of the windows and had a small flashback to when he’d lived on trains and buses. After shivering lightly, he took a breath and tried to ground himself to the car.

“We’ll get you some jeans,” Sam nodded. “Two pairs of jeans and five shirts, maybe a set of nice clothes just in case you two want to go out on a date instead of staying in.”

Cas blushed and Dean smiled secretly, as if no one was watching.

“Are you sure about this?” Cas asked for the final time. The impala drove into the parking space in front of the mall and stopped. When the engine cut out, Cas bit his lip. “Really, you don’t have to do this for me.”

“You forgot pajamas,” Dean pointed to Sam, who nodded.

Slyly, Dean threw a look into the rear view mirror at Cas. Cas smiled, scooted over to the driver’s side of the car, and opened the door.

 

“Yeah,” Dean nodded. He was in the fitting rooms with Cas, sitting outside of his door in case Cas needed help. Sam, meanwhile, was shopping for his own work clothes. “Those fit perfectly.”

The jeans were dark, with conspicuous red stitching. They hugged his thighs, but still gave him breathing room. And, Dean reluctantly observed, they made his ass look perfect.

“Those are way better,” Dean cleared his throat, “than the pair you tried before.”

Cas nodded, looking down at his red and white scarred feet self-consciously. When he looked back up, he saw Dean checking out his ass.

Tactfully, Cas cleared his throat and pretended not to notice.

“Is this it, then?” Cas asked. “Is this enough clothes?”

Dean shook his head.

“I’m gonna run out quick and find a pair of slacks quick. You okay on your own?” he asked simply, but seriously.

Cas nodded, looked into the mirror at Dean’s eyes running up and down his legs, and blushed. When Dean saw the blush, he thought Cas must be embarrassed by his concern, so Dean left to find slacks.

Not a moment after Dean left, Cas saw an attendant enter the fitting room. He was short, balding, and he looked very unhappy. When he came over to take Cas’s unwanted clothes, he noticed the ripped, worn, and perpetually dirty clothes he’d come to the store in. The attendant rolled his eyes.

“Look,” he said simply, “we don’t need any homeless people coming in and stealing our stuff, okay?”

Cas looked taken aback.

“Don’t look so shocked,” the attendant snapped. “I know what you’re up to. Why don’t you just change back into your clothes and get out of here?”

Cas bit his lip and answered, “I intend to pay for new clothes.”

The attendant ignored him and pulled all of the clothes from the dressing room except Cas’s old, torn shirt and pants he’d borrowed from Dean.

“Okay,” the attendant sighed sarcastically. “Show me your money, and I’ll believe you.”

Cas blushed and looked down.

“The people I came with are buying them for me,” he whispered quietly.

The attendant rolled his eyes and nodded.

“Sure,” he said, taking away the pile Cas had intended to keep. “Just get dressed and get the hell out of here. I’m trying to work, and you’re making the whole place stink.”

Cas’s mouth opened lightly, but he said nothing. His eyes watered.

Not a moment too soon, Dean appeared in the fitting room with two pairs of black slacks in his hands.

“So, Cas, I think these’ll work,” he started. When he looked up to see Cas crying and an attendant walking away with all of his clothes, he dropped the slacks and rushed over with wide eyes and open arms. He reached out and grabbed Cas’s shoulders, leaning down a little so he was looking up at Cas. “What’s going on?”

“Homeless,” the attendant muttered loudly.

Dean bit his cheeks and stared at Cas without seeing him. His eyes went wider and he clenched his jaw. While Cas watched through teary eyes, Dean’s face went redder, his eyes went darker, and his jaw went firmer.

“Excuse me?” Dean finally said, turning from Cas to the attendant. He let his hands fall to his sides, clenched tightly. “What did you say?”

The attendant obliviously glared at Cas and said to Dean, “Homeless people come in here all the time to steal from us. I’m fed up. Hey, you! Get the fuck out of here! You can’t pay for shit, so stop kidding yourself! Out! NOW!”

Suddenly, Dean rushed forward. Before Cas knew what was happening, he saw Dean’s fist meet the attendant’s face with such force that the attendant knocked back against the handicapped stall of the fitting room. Dean breathed heavily and bit his tongue hard. Then he shook his head.

“Don’t you dare,” he growled darkly. “Don’t you dare talk to him like that. He’s tired and he’s sore and he doesn’t sleep well because of all the shit he’s been through, and you’re gonna talk to him like that?”

The attendant looked up at Dean while he slouched against the wall. He raised a hand to his nose and tried to drown out the shouting that was hurting his head.

“He’s been through hell and back,” Dean shouted angrily, “and he’s still strong enough to go places where people like you treat him like shit! He’s strong enough to go out and be social, and then people like you say shit like that to him? Fuck you! He’s worth at least ten of you, asshole! Cas deserves a lot better than you, and you better apologize to him right now, you jackass, or I swear to God I’ll punch you again!”

Cas stared at Dean with wide eyes, then looked at the attendant, who was glaring around his bleeding nose.

“Sorry,” he mumbled insincerely.

Dean breathed deeply and shook his head. Simply, he reached down and grabbed the clothes he was buying for Cas.

“Come on, Cas,” he grunted, still glaring at the attendant. “Let’s never come back here again.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading this one! Remember to always be kind and treat people with respect! (That sounds like I'm your guys' mom. So.. now I'm your mom and you are all my children. Be nice, kids.) Feel free to leave comments if you have any!


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